Despite widespread media attention in the wake of the 2005 hurricane season, and growing concern that many states are unprepared for the 2006 season, the FCC's Hurricane Katrina Independent Panel earlier this week indicated that the ability of emergency responders to seamlessly and effectively communicate with each other remains a significant challenge.

In the FRC's new report assessing the status of emergency communications throughout eight southeastern states, we came to a similar conclusion: first responders in the hurricane-prone Gulf Coast and Atlantic regions still do not have the necessary equipment and resources for communications interoperability. Insufficient funding and a lack of coordination at all levels of government plague efforts to establish meaningful communications interoperability.

The FRC identified several key recommendations that could accelerate the process of helping first responders communicate more effectively:

1. The Department of Homeland Security's SAFECOM program must expeditiously complete the "National Interoperability Baseline Survey."

2. The Federal government should collaborate with state and local agencies to coordinate and implement regional emergency communications interoperability.

3. The Federal government, states and localities must do a better job of tracking the disbursement and allocation of grant monies.

4. If the nation is to make serious progress in achieving interoperability, there must be improvements in the ability to coordinate spending and the transparency of federal grants.

5. Finally, there must be both coordination and cooperation between agencies and at various levels of government.

So critical are these five recommendations that Senator Joe Lieberman, Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, said the following about the report:

"I am grateful to the First Response Coalition for sounding the alarm - again - about insufficient communications capabilities as the 2006 hurricane season approaches. This report should guide the Department of Homeland Security, Congress, and state and local officials in their efforts to achieve interoperable communications so they can better protect the American people during every day emergencies as well as major catastrophes. Stronger national leadership and sufficient, dedicated resources - which I have called for consistently - are necessary to avoid a repeat of the disastrous communications problems that hampered the response to Hurricane Katrina."

The press release and complete report can be found here.

The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS's) internal watchdog, the Office of the Inspector General, has released another report scrutinizing the DHS. The new report, called "Review of DHS' Progress in Adopting and Enforcing Equipment Standards for First Responders," was released just days after the Inspector General concluded that the widespread criticism of the government's sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina was largely deserved (see 4/14/06 FRC blog).

Homeland Security Watch, again, does a nice job of summarizing the report:

The Inspector General's new report looks at the office within the Science and Technology (S&T) directorate that is responsible for establishing standards, and reviews the office's slow progress in developing and implementing a standards-setting process for first responder equipment. The report notes progress in developing standards in a few areas, but nothing that resembles a broad approach. It also comments on the fact that no new standards [have been developed] since February 2004.

The report makes six recommendations about what DHS can do to improve the standards-setting process. Among them:

(1) Determine methods by which the time required to adopt standards can be accelerated;

(2) Establish quantifiable performance measures to achieve more timely adoption of standards;

(3) Mandate that all equipment purchased by first responders, using ODP grant funds, complies with corresponding standards adopted by S&T.

The FRC wholeheartedly agrees with Homeland Security Watch when they say that "DHS needs to address these recommendations if it is going to maximize the interoperability of first responders in a crisis and ensure that homeland security grant funds are not wasted."

The Department of Homeland Security's internal watchdog, the Office of the Inspector General, released a report today concluding that the widespread criticism of the government's sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina was largely deserved because FEMA, now under DHS, was too focused on terrorism response.

The report concluded that, among other things, FEMA's response was hampered by unreliable communication systems and poor coordination. In addition, confusing guidelines in the National Response Plan led to duplicated communications.

The report makes 38 recommendations calling for better training, coordination, and systems for ensuring communications among local and state emergency responders and between federal agencies providing aid.

Here's what Homeland Security Watch had to say about it:

"Based on this story, most of these recommendations seem familiar, similar to what's already been proposed by the GAO, the House Katrina Committee, the White House, and FEMA itself. But it's likely to be an important report nonetheless, because it's coming from the entity whose full-time job it is to keep DHS accountable, and which should have the deepest insight into the inner workings of the Department of any watchdog."

With Acting FEMA Director David Paulison at his side, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff promised a host of changes to FEMA so the agency can better respond during the 2006 hurricane season, which begins June 1.

In remarks delivered at the National Hurricane Conference in Orlando, Fl, Chertoff stated the following:

Our goal is to make FEMA stronger and provide FEMA with the 21st century tools and resources it needs to meet the challenges of today. Before hurricane season, we're... going to strengthen FEMA across a number of areas, including logistics, claims processing for disaster victims, debris removal, procurement, and emergency communications.

Chertoff then went on to address only logistics, debris removal, and contracting in more detail.

Certainly these are important components of an effective emergency response, but Chertoff's silence on effective emergency communications speaks volumes about the federal government's commitment to solving the emergency communications crisis. For example:

-SAFECOM's "National Interoperability Baseline Survey," which was supposed to be completed by the end of 2005, won't be released until September 2006 - four months into the 2006 hurricane season.

-The President's proposed FY07 budget threatens to significantly decrease or completely eliminate funding for several programs that first responders have relied on to buy technology and interoperable communications equipment.

The Feds can do better, and emergency responders deserve better. If the government had truly "learned its lesson" from the Katrina tragedy, policymakers would realize that first responders are only able to protect our communities when they are properly equipped, appropriately trained and adequately funded.

For the second year in a row, a survey conducted by the National Governor's Association (NGA) has ranked "developing interoperable communications for first responders" as the #1 priority among state homeland security directors.

The NGA also found that 82% of state homeland security directors report efforts to develop a statewide interoperable communications capacity are "in progress."

Yet "progress" is hardly the word that comes to mind when one reads articles like this one from The Advocate in Baton Rouge, Louisiana:

"A committee of Louisiana law-enforcement agencies charged with coordinating what has been deemed top priority in hurricane season preparations - making sure they can talk to one another - has yet to hold a single meeting.

Efforts have been stymied for months by behind-the-scenes fighting over who will control a radio and data system that allows emergency agencies to communicate in a crisis - and the millions of federal dollars that come with it."

Political in-fighting and turf battles have no place when lives are at stake. To borrow from the members of the Hurricane Katrina Independent Panel, "lose the egos."

As the mid-term elections draw near, the Democratic Party has released its broad plan for protecting the homeland. Titled "Real Security," the Democrats promise to do the following to protect America from terrorism and natural disasters:

1. Immediately implement the recommendations of the independent, bipartisan 9/11 Commission.

2. Provide firefighters, emergency medical workers, police officers and other workers on the front lines with the training, staffing, equipment, and cutting-edge technology they need.

3. Protect America from biological terrorism and pandemics, including the avian flu, by investing in the public health infrastructure and training public health workers.

The FRC has been calling for these measures for years. Emergency responders up and down the response continuum both need and deserve increased funding, better equipment, and expanded training to better prepare for and respond to future disasters. And while there's a lot of chatter on both sides of the political spectrum about the Democrat's plan (see: Daily Kos, Gateway Pundit, CarpetbaggerReport, and Balloon Juice), the FRC applauds Democrats for at least putting their intentions in writing.

But haven't we seen commitments like this before? In a March 2005 report, the FRC reviewed the promises made to first responders following 9/11. The FRC concluded that Congressional and Administration promises, from Democrats and Republicans alike, for full funding for emergency responder needs such as additional personnel, new equipment, and interoperable radio systems, were long on rhetoric and short on action. Another FRC report in December 2005 came to a similar conclusion: despite all the promises, policymakers have failed to provide emergency responders with the resources they need.

America has seen its fair share of tragedy lately, from terrorist attacks to hurricanes. Enduring terrorist threats, the fast-approaching 2006 hurricane season, and the specter of avian flu loom large. In the face of these challenges, not providing those in the public safety and public health sectors with the resources they need to do their jobs safely and effectively could make an already tragic situation truly disasterous.